News Guwahati

We suspect Gogoi is hiding facts: Patowary
By our Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, Sept 27: Reacting to Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s statement before the press today that the identity of the seven militants who were killed in an encounter with the Army yesterday has not been ascertained as yet, AGP president Chandra Mohan Patowary said it is unfortunate that the Chief Minister, who is also the Home Minister and the head of the Unified Command structure, is without complete information even after about 36 hours of the incident.
Talking to The Sentinel, Patowary said: “We suspect that the Chief Minister is trying to hush up some facts, since we have told him time and again that Islamic fundamentalist groups have set up their hideouts in the State. In a press release issued yesterday, the PIB said the killed militants were HuJI cadres.”
According to Patowary, Islamic militants enter the State through the open Indo-Bangladesh border. “During its seven-year rule, the Congress Government in the State failed to take any concrete steps to seal the Indo-Bangladesh border,” he rued. source: sentinel assam

‘Cong conspiring against SC community’
By our Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, Sept 27: The Anususita Jati Mahasabha (AJM) today blamed the State Government for ignoring the interests of the SC people of the State and said that the Congress Government is conspiring to destroy the identity of the SC people. In a press meet held today, the president of AJM Chandra Kamal Baghawati said that the future of 70 lakh SC people in the State are at stake as they are not getting the requisite facilities and privileges meant for them.
The AJM president threatened that if their demands are not met by the Government by November 15, then they would be compelled to take action on their own. The president of AJM said that they would file a PIL in the Gauhati High Court asking for a committee to be formed to look into the issue of fake SC certificates in the State. Baghawati said that the issue of people possessing fake SC certificate in the State has assumed grave proportions and the Government needs to crack down on the guilty persons.
Many people of SC community are deprived of many facilities as non-SC persons possessing fake certificates are in the increase, said Baghawati. The AJM also plans to plans to gehrao the office of the DC on November 12.
The AJM claimed that the SC certificates given by the Anususita Jati Parishad from 1995 are all fake. The organization demanded that all such certificates should be cancelled with immediate effect.
The president said that they would be filing a case against a member of the Kamrup Zila Parishad—Parimal Das— for possessing a fake SC certificate. Another case will also filed against a enforcement inspector of Tezpur for the same reason, said the AJM president. The Mahasabha president said that on March 20, a AJM team met the Chief Minister and appraised him about the racket of fake SC certificates. They also submitted a 7-point charter of demand to the Chief Minister and the Governor.
The AJM demanded that the Government constitute an inquiry commission headed by a Justice of the High Court to get to the bottom of the fake certificate racket. The AJM team also asked for a ministerial berth to a person belonging to the SC community. But the AJM lamented the fact that their request for a cabinet post was turned down. source: sentinel assam

OIL records Rs 1,788.93 cr profit in 2007-08
From our Correspondence
Tinsukia, Sept 27: The Oil India Limited (OIL) today announced of Rs 1788.93 crore profit after tax for 2007-08 with the net worth of the company increasing by 16 per cent in the previous year to reach Rs 7,933 crore.
It had also recorded a quantum jump in crude oil production in the first quarter of 2008-09, OIL to be conferred with ‘Navaratna’ status, after listing on the bourses. Last year’s profit stood at Rs 6,795 crore as compared to Rs 6,008 crore for 2006-07, OIL CMD M R Pasrija said at the company 49th annual general meeting at its headquarters at Duilajan today.
He stated that the net worth of the company increased even after providing for discount of Rs 2305 crore on crude oil and LPG towards the sharing of under recoveries suffered by oil marketing companies.
Pasrija informed that as recognition of its performance, the Government had found OIL eligible for conferring ‘Navaratna’ status.
“But this may come into force only after OIL completes the formality of listing its shares through the IPO,” he said.
The CMD informed that the crude oil production had gone up by 18 per cent during the first quarter of 2008-09 as compared to the same period last year.
For the year 2007-08, OIL’s Board of Directors had recommended a final dividend of 150 per cent. This was over and above the interim dividend of 125 per cent. The total dividend of 275 per cent stood at Rs 588.51 crore.
The company had also made the highest ever contribution both to the state and Central exchequer in terms of Cess, Royalty, Sales Tax and so and so forth with contribution to the state exchequer being Rs 1,454.73 crore and to the Central exchequer Rs 2,360.86 crore.
Pasrija informed that there were nine small to medium size discoveries during the year, eight of which were in Assam and one in Rajasthan. In addition, gas was struck in one of the JVC Block in Dirak in Asom.
Hydrocarbon was also discovered in Farsi offshore block, Iran, where OIL held 20 per cent participating interest.
From being a North East-based company, OIL today has a pan India presence with 21 NELP blocks, including 14 onshore and 7 offshore blocks. OIL is operator in 12 onshore blocks.
In addition, OIL also plans to get four Blocks in the just concluded NELP-VII. OIL has made a presence in seven countries - Libya, Gabon, Nigeria, Yemen, Sudan, Iran and East Timor.
During the year 2007-08 OIL has been accredited with two International Standard Certifications - International safety rating System (ISRS) certification to Intermediate Tank Farm (ITF) Tengakhat, and Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) validation for Green House Gas Emission Reduction through Recovery and Utilisation of Flare Gas in respect of Kumchai to Dumduma Gas Pipeline.
Besides, its 26 per cent stake in Numaligarh refinery and 10 per cent stake in the Assam gas Cracker Project, OIL was planning to be a partner in the upcoming Vishakhapatnam Refinery and Petrochemical complex on the east coast along with TOTAL, HPCL, GAIL and Mittal Energy. The company had recently commissioned the product-pipeline (NRL to Siliguri) which would generate additional revenue of over Rs 100 crore annually. source: sentinel assam

World Tourism Day observed
By our Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, Sept 27: State Tourism Minister Nurul Hussain said today that the Government has sanctioned an amount of Rs 21 crore for the current financial year. Hussain was speaking at a function organized to mark World Tourism Day at Hotel Brahmaputra Ashok.
The minister said that under the leadership of chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, tourism in the State has received importance and that can be seen from the increase in the number of tourists visiting the State.
The State last year saw 34 lakh domestic tourist and 13,105 foreign tourists. This has been possible to the efforts of Tarun Gogoi who has said that tourism can be the major bread earner of the State, said Hussain. Asking the local people to be more involved in tourism, Hussain said that people must be conscious of keeping places of tourist attraction clean and always lend a helping hand to the tourists.
Coming down heavily on previous Government’s, Hussain said that in 2001, a merge amount of Rs 4 crore was earmarked for tourism. The department was totally ignored and the present Government has been able to repair some of the damage caused by the policies of the past Governments, said Hussain.
The minister said that the Government proposes to increase the tenure of punishment for persons found guilty of cutting trees. Asom has a rich bio-diversity and the Government will do everything possible to save and protect the natural flora and fauna of the State, quipped Hussain. source: sentinel assam

Dairy sector to get international help
By our Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, Sept 27: The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), a global learning institute with its headquarters in Nairobi is coming forward to assist in improving the efficiency of traditional milk marketing system in Asom under the its new project on “Knowledge to Action: Enhancing the traditional Dairy Value Chains in Assam” with financial support from the Department for International Development (DFID), United Kingdom.
It may be mentioned here that milk quality and hygiene remains a major concern for the milk consumers in Asom and there have been several reports in the media about the adverse effects of it. The total milk marketed in Asom, more than 97 per cent is contributed through traditional systems (milk vendors/processors/ sweet makers) while this system has been largely overlooked or underestimated over the decades by both the Government and non-Government agencies.
Under the project, ILRI intends to enhance the demand for locally produced quality milk in the State through improving the hygiene and quality of milk marketed by milk vendors and to stimulate a demand driven production system.
The project is going to be implemented in association with local partners including the Directorate of Dairy Development, Assam Agricultural University and few other local NGOs in the districts of Kamrup, Jorhat, Sonitpur and Barpeta.
The ceremonial launch of the project will be held on September 29 at Shilpagram and it will chaired by Additional Chief Secretary of Asom Ms Parul Devi Das.
For designing the project, findings from a earlier study titled “ Comprehensive Study on Dairy Sector of Assam, 2007” conducted by ILRI and its partners under the Assam Agricultural Competitiveness Project (AACP) funded by the World Bank will be used.
Citing reasons for the need of such a project, a member closely associated with the project said that in Asom, 42 per cent of urban and 26 per cent of rural consumers are dissatisfied with the present level of milk quality and hygiene. Samples of raw milk contained 21 per cent added water and pasteurized milk contained 4 per cent of added water.
The State also losses 85 million litres of milk every year due to wastage and spoilage. Production ineffiencies, wastage, spoilage and lack of consumer confidence in milk quality and safety are major bottleneck for promoting demand and supply in Asom, the member said.
The project will adopt a three-pronged approach addressing the demand for milk, improving its quality and increasing its supply. The project aims to benefit dairy farmers, milk traders, vendors and consumers. The project will develop business for the milk traders through linking them with business service providers and training them in good practices to decrease spoilage, spillage and wastage.
Technology in milk production will get a major boost through this project. The ILRI will provide tools to detect adulteration and provide incentives to produce safe and pure milk. source: sentinel assam

Gupta, Shabana get national integration award
By our Staff Reporter
Guwahati, Sept 27: The Asom Government today announced to confer the Fakaruddin Ali Ahmed Award for National Integration on eminent journalist Shekhar Gupta and noted actress and social activist Shabana Azmi for the year 2006-07 and 2007-08. Informing this at a press conference here, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said, “They have been chosen for the award for their contribution towards bringing the people together and closer through their respective work.” source: sentinel assam

Somnath Paul bags Amala Bezboruah Memorial Award
By a Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, Sept 27: The 6th Amala Bezboruah Memorial Award-2007, was given to Shri Somnath Paul at a small but solemn function held at the Gauhati University here today in the presence of the faculty members, distinguished guests and students of the Mathematics Department besides family members of Late Amala Bezboruah. The function was presided over by Prof BC Kalita and faculty members and guests recalled the qualities of Late Amala Bezboruah who served the university with great dedication and distinction. The award is given every year to the student of the Mathematics discipline of the university who secures the highest aggregate marks in the 1st and 2nd semester of the M. A. / M. Sc. course. The award carries a cash amount of Rs 10,000 and a certificate issued jointly by the Head, Mathematics Department Gauhati University and the Chairperson, Amala Bezboruah Memorial Trust. source: sentinel assam